Pieces
by jennyxbc
Summary: The Ancient Greeks believed that humans began as creatures with 4 arms, 4 legs, and 2 heads, but Zeus, fearing how powerful these creatures could become split each of them in two, and damned them to search for their other half. Post DH.
1. Chapter 1

Hermione laughed with her colleagues as a drunk Lavender Brown downed another shot. Those around the table cheered as Lavender cringed at the taste of the Tequila.

"Hermione!" Lavender cried, smacking her lightly as Hermione giggled.

"You wanted to come to a Muggle bar and have Muggle drinks! You _specifically_ asked for a selection of the strongest drinks available, and so I give you tequila!" Hermione replied gleefully, passing Harry his own shot glass.

"Your turn, birthday boy! Twenty one at last! You've finally joined the rest of us!" Hermione smirked, winking at Harry as he gulped down the shot. Ginny laughed and thumped Harry on the back as he coughed.

"There, there Harry," she soothed, smiling at him as he kissed her forehead.

Hermione had been working at the Ministry for just over three years now in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and was well on her way to reforming the dusty traditions of the Wizarding World. Whilst her career required her to be extremely serious and professional, she was young and had no commitments, and she enjoyed life.

Harry and Ginny sat together, as did Ron and Lavender and Neville and Luna. George and Hannah also seemed to have ended up together, and Hermione appeared to be the only one who had noticed. One by one, the table began to empty, with one couple and then another making their excuses and retiring to their homes. Hermione smiled at her friends as they left, giving Ron a wistful look that lasted a little too long. Lavender was too drunk to notice and Ron was too busy trying to keep Lavender vertical, so only Ginny saw how Hermione seemed to shrink inside herself, just for a moment.

On the outside, she was a powerful, formidable businesswoman. Taking no prisoners and always getting what she wanted. But when it came to her stupid, good for nothing brother, she was incredibly dim-witted. Ginny had often contemplated what could possibly have attracted the beautiful Hermione to her plain, red-haired brother. Ginny squeezed Hermione's hand under the table as Ron and Lavender left, and Harry looked at her sympathetically.

Harry and Ginny were the last of the group to go, giving Hermione a grateful hug and wishing her a good night's sleep. Hermione nodded at them with a smile and a faux yawn.

As it was, she wasn't tired. She was bored. She wanted excitement and danger. She craved it. It was a bizarre form of lust. Hermione longed to feel the thrill of adrenalin thrumming through her veins. The war had been terrible, but Hermione missed the _buzz_ of anticipating something. Anything.

She stood herself and took a seat at the bar, ordering herself a gin martini. She sighed and drummed her fingers on the bar top, gazing around to examine her surroundings. There was nobody of interest. Hermione sipped from her glass, and a drunken grunt from the corner of the bar caught her attention.

"Granger," the man hiccupped, smiling widely as he swayed on his stool. "It's Hermioninnnnny Granger," he slurred again, and Hermione stared warily back at him.

"Hello, Malfoy," Hermione replied, her brown eyes appraising the blonde haired drunken man who was grinning at her warmly.

Draco attempted to stand, but swayed dangerously again and Hermione leapt forward to steady him.

"Ugh, Malfoy! You smell foul! Have you taken a bath in whiskey recently?" she coughed, directing her head and nose away from him. He was now leaning heavily on her, smirking stupidly as he patted her head lovingly.

"Bloody hell Granger, you are gorgeous," he exclaimed suddenly, accidentally stepping on one of Hermione's toes.

"Malfoy, these are £400 shoes. Keep still!" Hermione replied, glaring at him for a second whilst she indicated for the bartender to pass her her bag. "Where are you staying tonight?"

Malfoy shrugged in a childlike way and grinned again, poking Hermione on her nose. "Don't know," he replied happily, in such a carefree way that Hermione had to smile.

She sighed and grasped his waist tightly, guiding him out of the bar and to a dark alley way around the corner. "Alright, hold on to me."

...

Hermione apparated back to her flat and sat Malfoy on the couch. "Stay here," she warned, "I'm going to bring you a drink."

Draco yawned in reply, smiling as he fell back against the soft leather. He looked around, nodding approvingly at the large television and the bookcase that covered an entire wall of the room. "Nice digs, Granger," he murmured, drunkenly awed at Hermione's beautiful taste. Hermione returned with a blanket and two pillows, which she put on the coffee table.

"For you," she indicated, "You can sleep on the couch."

"What if I need to throw up?" Malfoy asked, having the decency in his inebriated state to look sheepish.

Hermione produced a purple bucket in response that had a bit of water in the bottom of it. "If you vomit on my new carpet, I'll make you clean it up without using your wand," the brunette muttered flatly, and Malfoy shrank back against the couch. "I'll be right back. The bathroom is over there." She indicated towards a door.

Malfoy stood and followed her into her pristine kitchen. She had scraped her hair into a messy bun, showing off the sun kissed skin of the top of her back. "Granger," he started. "Granger, why are you doing this?"

Hermione sighed. "Honestly? I don't know. Because I used to know you. Because I'd like to believe that you'd do the same for me," Draco scoffed at this point and she ignored him, "And because I know it's been a hard week for you."

Malfoy looked uncomfortable. "Yes. Well." He frowned. "Never had you down for a good Samaritan, Granger."

Hermione smiled at him genuinely. "I'm just being human, Malfoy."

Draco stood silently for a moment, admiring the beauty that he had suddenly recognized. "You're beautiful, you know."

The brunette laughed and flushed a little. "As much as I appreciate that, you're drunk Malfoy. You should go to bed."

"Yes, I'm drunk and you're beautiful." Malfoy considered this. "Tomorrow morning, I'll be sober but you'll _still_ be beautiful. Beautiful on the inside as well as on the outside."

Hermione patted him on the shoulder and handed him a cup filled with a brown liquid. "Drink this. It should sober you up a little." She handed him a big bottle of water and some painkillers. "Take two of those every four hours. If you take any more, you'll die, so don't. I don't want a dead Malfoy on my couch thank you very much. Your family hates me enough as it is."

Malfoy smirked, the coffee making him a little more sober. He tucked a stray hair behind Hermione's ear. "Can I kiss you, Granger?"

"No. Goodnight."


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione awoke with a smile on her face despite her mild hangover. She stretched and yawned and rolled herself out of her bed. Glancing in the mirror she tugged at her hair but decided it was pretty much a lost cause for the moment. She adjusted her silk pyjama camisole and shorts and inspected a freckle on her knee, her sleepy mind preoccupying her with things that didn't matter.

She walked tiredly into her open plan kitchen and turned on the coffee maker, replacing the filter with a flick of her wand. She yawned again and jumped up to sit on the island counter. She yawned loudly again, and when a loud groan was heard from the other room she shrieked and fell unceremoniously onto the floor with a thump. She crept slowly into her living room, pointing her wand into all of the corners to see what had made the noise.

"Show yourself! I have a gun! And a wand!" Hermione wanted to cover all of her bases. She edged towards the couch and lifted the blanket a little, only to be faced with a delicious bare male bottom which a part her hangover-addled brain found a moment to appreciate.

Another groan came from her couch and Hermione leapt backwards, studying the person that was laid, face down, into her new couch. She poked the figure a few times with her wand, unable to recognize them from the back of their head and screamed when an arm suddenly reached up and snatched the offending wooden object.

"Merlin, that's enough! I'm awake!" An irate Draco Malfoy rolled over and revealed himself, his eyes widening as he saw Hermione. "Keep it down, would you? My head hurts."

Hermione blushed and indicated down to Draco's _morning visitor_. Draco smirked and covered himself, sitting up on the couch. She rolled her eyes, now remembering the night before. "Coffee?" she offered, grabbing her wand back and strolling back into the kitchen.

"Black with two sugars," Draco called after her gratefully, smirking as he looked around the room. Hermione returned and handed the steaming cup to Draco. "So, Granger, how exactly did I end up half naked on your very comfortable couch?"

"You were drunk and I wanted to help. You being half naked was your personal choice, luckily I was already in bed at that point. Do you want to have a shower?" She asked, standing up. "You know where the bathroom is. I'll put out extra towels."

Malfoy nodded and smiled. "Thanks for this," he gestured to his makeshift bed and to the coffee. "You could have just left me in the bar."

"You're an old friend. Why would I leave you in a bar by yourself when you're absolutely intoxicated in a place popular with Muggle born wizards? Your picture would be all over the Daily Prophet and I'm certain that that's the last thing you need right now."

Draco grimaced. "I don't understand why they can't just leave me alone," he muttered. "It's not like I'm suddenly going to turn around and say, 'I, Draco Malfoy, would like a cosy chat with Rita Skeeter about the death of my bastard father' is it?"

Hermione shrugged sympathetically. "Either way, I wasn't about to leave you there. I have to go and get ready. I have a luncheon at 11.30."

"Ooh, does Granger have a date?" Malfoy teased, poking her arm lightly.

Hermione ignored him and placed her cup into the sink. "I don't think having lunch with Harry Potter's fiancé counts as a date, do you? I'm going to get ready. There's food in the kitchen if you're hungry."

...

Hermione showered and dressed in a hurry, taming her long mane of hair with a quick spell and applying some natural looking make up. She selected a simple outfit of skinny jeans and a cream jumper, choosing some cream ankle boots with a small heel and coral coloured accessories to add some colour. Since leaving Hogwarts, her hatred of shopping had not altered but she took a much more involved approach in making sure she looked nice the majority of the time. Her position within the Ministry meant she had to look smart and professional and this meant wearing clothes that flattered her, though it probably helped that she was twenty one, healthy, toned and rather pretty. The Ministry needed young fresh faces like those of her and Lavender and Harry.

She exited her room and found a freshly showered Malfoy sitting on her couch staring at his hands. "Granger, look. I'd like to take you out for dinner. You know, to say thank you for last night."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to do that. Honestly I'd rather just go out for a few drinks. Or have a movie night or something. I don't really like 'dates'," _not that it would be a date, _she thought with an embarrassed blush.

Malfoy nodded. "Well, I'll owl you or something." A sudden awkwardness settled over the two of them. He smirked at her. "You look good, Granger," he said. "You've got a nice place here. Thank you for letting me sleep on your couch." Hermione smiled and he reached out and put his hand on her shoulder for a second, leaned forward and gave her a peck on the cheek and then took a step backwards and apparated out of her home.

Hermione realised she had enjoyed the time she had spent in Malfoy's company. Then she smiled at her own absurdity. He was _Draco Malfoy_. She checked her appearance a final time in the mirror and apparated to a nearby Starbucks for a morning of reading and her favourite mango frappuchinos.

* * *

><p>'<em>DRACO MALFOY HEARTBROKEN OVER DEATH EATER FATHER'<em>

Hermione winced as she studied the Daily Prophet. True enough, there was a picture of Draco on the front with a half empty glass of whiskey by his side. Draco looked lost and lonely and miserable and the brunette couldn't help but want to give him a hug and a cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream and mini marshmallows with chocolate dust sprinkled over the top. He looked so _young_, like a confused little boy, and Hermione felt an overwhelming urge to protect him.

Draco had also seen the Daily Prophet. He was currently laid on his own bed in Malfoy Manor, the enchanted portraits around the room scowling at him and hissing pointless, harmless curses at him from the confines of their gilt frames. His father's portrait glared at him.

"_You're a traitor, Draco,"_ Lucius' image spat, _"Staying at that Mudblood's home." _

Draco ignored his father and picked up a blanket from his bed, which he wordlessly draped over Lucius' portrait. "She might not have pureblood, father, but she's a better person than you ever were."

Malfoy couldn't help but smile as he thought of Hermione. She had changed. She was an adult, a _woman_, and a beautiful and compassionate woman at that. He made the decision to get dressed and go in search of edible food, and then he would take her some flowers to say thank you. Yes.

She might have declined his offer of dinner but he still had manners, even if they had been enemies in the past. _Kinky, _a part of Malfoy's brain commented, and Draco himself smirked.

...

Later that day, Draco attempted to apparate directly into Hermione's apartment, but found he was only able to get to the outside door. He silently cursed himself for not realising that only Hermione herself would be able to apparate inside. He knocked and there was no answer, so he left the daisies leant against the doorframe, the purple ribbon glimmering in the light of the hallway. Malfoy sighed at his stupidity. Of course Hermione would be out.

He too would go out, he decided. He was going to find a bar, find a woman and take her home and fuck her senseless, in the hope that she might be able to forget the currently shitty details of his life.

A dead father. A hermit mother. An insane aunt. He had no support network and so relied on the method that he had used since he was thirteen.

Copious amounts of alcohol and copious amounts of meaningless sex.

* * *

><p>Ginny grinned as she told Hermione of Harry's drunken antics after they had left the bar the night before.<p>

"I'm sure it was the last shot of tequila that did it," Ginny spluttered. "He fell out of the bar and threw up as soon as we apparated back to his flat. I've spent most of the morning holding a cloth to his head and bringing him glasses of ice water because he thought he had a disease or something."

Hermione laughed. "I cannot believe that the boy who defeated Voldemort couldn't cope with a hangover."

"Oh! Before I forget! Did you see Malfoy in here last night? I didn't, and neither did Ron or Harry. I didn't bother asking George, he was too fixated with Hannah's breasts to take notice of his surroundings."

Hermione frowned as she realised that she didn't want to tell Ginny about Draco sleeping on her couch. "I left soon after you did," she offered truthfully, not wanting to lie, "But there were a lot of people in here last night, and we were all really drunk and really loud. It's not surprising that we didn't notice."

Ginny nodded. "Yeah, that's what Hannah said. She works with Pansy Parkinson, so maybe she'll find something out there."

"Are Pansy and Malfoy still a 'thing'? I thought they left that behind in school," Hermione asked curiously, unsure as to why this bothered her.

"I don't think so, not recently anyway. Pansy's been seeing Dean Thomas for about two months now. Apparently they really like each other. Pansy told Hannah she's never felt like that about anybody before. But I do think her and Malfoy had casual sex for about a year after we left Hogwarts," Ginny replied, shrugging. "I haven't seen Malfoy for a long time. Wonder if he's grown out of hating innocent Muggle borns?" She pondered out loud, and Hermione grimaced.

"Hopefully," she muttered quietly.

The red head grinned. "From what I've heard he's gorgeous nowadays. And they say he's discovered shampoo, so his hair isn't horrible and greasy like it used to be."

Hermione considered this. Draco Malfoy, gorgeous? Hmm. She'd never thought of him that way before.

Although he did have a very nice bottom, she noted, trying desperately to keep the smirk from her face.

"I think he's lost the sickly paleness as well, after spending a year working abroad. What does he do now?" She asked Hermione.

"Well, last I heard he'd bought a group of shops like Borgin and Burkes and was planning to expand."

Ginny shuddered. "Of course he would be fiddling in Dark Magic. You should look into that at work, Hermione."

Hermione nodded absently. "How's work by the way? Are you enjoying being the youngest professional Chaser in the country?"

Ginny shrugged and took a sip of her orange juice. "It has its benefits I suppose. Won't be able to play much longer though," she replied mournfully.

"Why?" Hermione asked curiously, "I thought you loved Quidditch?"

"I'm seven weeks pregnant," Ginny answered flatly, staring at the table.

Hermione blinked at her. "But you were drinking last night?"

"I wasn't. I kept using a charm to make my drinks into water. It's easy to act drunk. Found out about a week ago. I'm terrified. My parents are going to kill me. It's going to royally mess up my career. Not to mention Harry and I aren't even married yet. We've not even set the date!" Tears began to form in her eyes.

Hermione moved around to Ginny's side of the table, wrapping her arms around her. "Look, Gin, everything will be fine. This is the 21st century. Nobody says you have to be married before you have a baby. And if you want to be married then why not have a quiet ceremony? Just family and close friends? If you're worried about Quidditch hurting the baby then there are charms you can do, surely?"

"Yeah, there are. But charms like that are banned in professional games. To make it as fair as possible. You can get banned for using them."

"That's horrible!" Hermione cried. "Not to mention brutal and cruel and bloody _dangerous!_"

Ginny stared at her. "It's _Quidditch,_ Hermione. Of course it's dangerous. Don't be dim. There's nothing I can do now. I'm horribly bloated already."

"Does Harry know?" Hermione questioned suddenly, taking Ginny by surprise.

Ginny went white. "No, of course not!" she wailed, "He's trying to get a promotion at work, and it'll make him travel all over the place. It's for more money, and the interview's in a few weeks. I'm going to tell him after the interview, then he won't worry, you know?"

"Ginny, your next Quidditch match is less than a week away! You can't play Quidditch while you're pregnant!" the brunette protested.

"Keep your voice down," Ginny hissed in reply, looking around nervously. "I'm using a concealing charm to hide my stomach for the time being but it'll only work until the tenth week, after that it can damage the baby's development. What am I going to do?"

Hermione hugged her again and patted her shoulder sympathetically. "I don't know, Gin. There are, erm, Muggle methods of terminating pregnancy, you know..."

Ginny shuddered. "I could never do that. It's practically murder. There's a little person growing inside of me. Its not their fault." She smiled. "It's weird, you know. Despite the horrendous morning sickness and the not being ready and the bizarre cravings, I'm a bit excited. I know it's the wrong time and Harry and I aren't married and we don't live together properly or anything, but I'm happy. I'm still completely terrified, but it's like a part of me knows that I can do this. That both of us can do this; Harry and I, as parents. Can you imagine?"

Hermione giggled. "That will be one messed up child," she teased. "Come on. Let's go and look for baby clothes in Harrods. I'll even treat us to designer ice cream."

"You don't have to do that, Hermione. I know how much you hate shopping."

"Ginny, you obviously need some retail therapy. We can say it's for my cousin if anyone sees us buying baby stuff."

Ginny smiled. "Thank you for being so understanding. You've got no idea how much I've needed to tell somebody about this. The secret alone has been killing me."

The brunette nodded. "No worries Gin. You'll be an amazing mother, despite what you think. Can we go now? I want to look at some adorable baby suits!"

Ginny grinned at her. "Now that you mention it, I've conveniently developed a craving for walnut whip."

...

Hermione had had a wonderful afternoon shopping with Ginny. They had bought lots of neutral baby outfits and a couple of stuffed animals, as well as some flattering maternity clothes and maternity underwear for Ginny and a couple of new outfits for Hermione. Ginny had taken away the charm on her torso for a few minutes whilst Hermione was in the changing rooms, and had rubbed her stomach afterwards.

"I swear that charm makes you feel like you're wearing a corset."

Hermione had frowned and looked at her in concern. "Maybe you shouldn't use it. You don't want it to hurt the baby."

Ginny frowned. "I read up on it before using it. I didn't want to use it anyway but now it feels worse every time I take the charm off. It hurts the most in the morning when I'm in the shower because I have to use the charm all the nights when I stay at Harry's. I don't want to look pregnant. Not yet anyway. People will just think I'm fat until they find out and I don't want them to find out yet."

"Ginny, have you ever heard of maternity clothes?"

* * *

><p>Later that day, Hermione sat opposite her date for the evening, Mr Blaise Zabini, laughing heartily as he badly performed Muggle magic tricks.<p>

"Honestly, Blaise, you'd think after doing the same tricks for over a month you'd have improved a little bit. You are officially the worst magician I have ever met," Hermione decreed, her eyes sparkling as Zabini bowed in mock gratitude.

"But, as one of the best wizards, I must be commended on seeking the company of one of the most beautiful witches in existence," he purred in response, kissing Hermione's hand and sitting back in his chair. The two looked at each other blankly for a moment, before they both cracked up laughing. "Ah, Hermione. You are good company."

Hermione sipped her drink and grinned. "Why thank you, Mr Zabini."

Blaise looked at her. "I heard that Malfoy stayed at yours last night," he commented wryly. "What's that about?"

Hermione shrugged. "He was drunk, and I felt sorry for him. What with Lucius dying and Bellatrix being sentenced to death and his mother becoming an absolute recluse in her own home... I just wanted to help. How did you know he stayed over, anyway? We apparated in... Was it in the paper or something?"

Zabini wouldn't look at her, but Hermione didn't notice. "No, it wasn't in the paper. Just a rumour, you know, since you left the bar together."

She nodded and let the subject drop. "Ah, where is this bloody main course? I'm starving!"

Blaise breathed a discreet sigh of relief.

...

Draco sat in the bar of the restaurant, alone as usual. He was bored. He was drinking his usual whiskey with a mixer, but sipping it rather than knocking it back like tap water as he had the day before. Saturdays were dull these days.

"Drake!"

Malfoy turned and saw Blaise Zabini stood beside him, grinning as he ordered a gin martini with an olive and a scotch on the rocks. Draco raised an eyebrow. "A martini with an olive, Zabini?"

Blaise shrugged and smirked. "Not for me. For my date." He indicated back to his table. Hermione had her back to them, and Draco didn't recognise her from the back of her head. "Not that she needs it. She's pretty gone already."

Draco smirked right back at him. "She nice?"

Zabini waggled his eyebrows. "Here's hoping. This only the second time we've been out. It's nothing serious. She's very '_career orientated'. _I can't wait to get on her body, though. She's gorgeous. Tiny waist, amazing curves, big brown eyes, long hair, tanned, and you can actually have a decent conversation with her."

"I thought you weren't fond of intellgent women?" Draco asked, raising his eyebrows as he looked back at Hermione. "I thought you liked easy top-heavy blondes with no personality?"

"People change. I'm taking a leaf out of your book."

Hermione was getting annoyed sitting alone at their table. She glanced around and saw Blaise talking to a Draco Malfoy, of all people. Hermione smiled and stood up, sashaying towards them in her high heels.

"Good evening, Malfoy."

The familiar scent of citrus fruits caught Malfoy's attention and he glanced toward's Zabini's date uninterestedly. His eyes widened and his mouth opened in shock as he appraised her. She was wearing a figure hugging beige dress that showed the perfect mixture of leg and cleavage. Black suede heels and a black suede clutch bag completed her outfit; she was gorgeous. Her dark curls fell alluringly to her waist and her brown eyes were outlined with black eyeliner, her thick lashes batting teasingly as she smirked at him. Her perfect pink lips made him want to kiss her. She was beautifully sun-kissed and Malfoy noticed the small daisy chain tattoo around her left ankle. Then he realised who she was.

"Hello, Granger. You're looking particularly ravishing this evening," Draco commented with a smirk that matched Hermione's. He frowned when Blaise put an arm around her waist. Hermione saw the frown and glanced down at Zabini's arm. She lightly stepped away from him, but Blaise had already done the damage.

"Oh, Drake. You remember Hermione."

* * *

><p><strong>Love it? Hate it? Reviews make me update faster!<strong>


End file.
